8 Reasons Why I Love Bananas!

Years ago I played around with oil painting and the very first picture I ever painted was of a…….banana! I should have known then that they would play a much larger role in my life than just being in my first painting.

That yellow fruit that everyone knows is one of the best foods you can possibly eat, especially if you are a vegan or vegetarian. The banana is perfectly suited for us, nutritionally. There isn’t a day that goes by that I do not consume 5-10 bananas either just like that or in a smoothie. They have become one of the staples in my diet. In fact as I write this I am snacking on a stack of them. I love them and here is why…..

8 Reasons I Love Bananas:

1) Bananas are the perfect snack

People always get stuck out in the street wondering what they can eat that is healthy. The best thing you can do is be prepared and take some food with you. Bananas are perfect. They come in their own package and you can take them where ever you go. You do not need a knife to eat them, they peel easily and they are not messy! They are great for kids.  Bananas make a great in-between meal, pre-workout or mid-afternoon snack.

2) Bananas are high in healthy carbs

80% of your diet should be healthy carbohydrates from whole food sources. Carbs are your main energy source. So think of a banana as a yellow energy glow-stick. Bananas are a high-carb high-energy fruit. And do not think that you will get fat eating bananas. That is not going to happen, especially if you are eating them ripe (with spots on them).

3) Bananas are inexpensive compared to other fruits

You could easily spend $5.00 on a box of blueberries. While they are delicious a $5.00 box of blueberries does not go very far in satisfying your hunger. That same $5.00 will by you 25 bananas at just about any market in the city. 25 bananas is 2500 calories of pure fibrous nutrition. Bananas are one of the highest nutrition, lowest costs foods you can eat.

4) Bananas are loaded with fiber

1 medium banana has over 3 grams of fiber. That is 10% of your daily requirement. More natural fiber from whole foods like bananas will have positive benefits for your digestion and elimination.

5) Bananas are the perfect low fat food

1 medium banana has less than 1/2 gram of fat. They are basically fat-free. So you do not have to worry how many you eat. They fill you up, they provide fiber and nutrition but no….fat. That is a perfect food in my book!

6) Bananas are a great potassium food!

Most every one is high in sodium. We need more potassium in our diets. Bananas are great for that! And there is no possible way to overdo the potassium with bananas. Unless you eat 400+ bananas in one sitting you will never overdo it. Even the FDA has officially recognized bananas as beneficial to lower blood pressure and protect against heart attack and stroke.

7) Bananas are high in B vitamins and iron

Have problems with anemia? Bananas are an easy, non-constipating source of iron.

8) They make the perfect non-dairy, low-fat vegan ice cream

Who does not like ice cream? Store some peeled bananas in the freezer. Once that ice cream craving hits throw them in a food processor or blender (if you have a powerful one) with a touch of liquid (water, coconut water or almond milk) and blend. Try it just like that and then experiment adding other things (berries, cacao, pineapple etc) for different tastes. Your children will not know the difference between this and store bought ice cream and there is no comparison in the nutritional value. You can indulge with no guilt!

Final suggestion:

Make sure you eat only RIPE Bananas! Ripe means they have spots on them. This signifies that the starch has changed to an easily digestible sugar. They are much sweeter and easier to digest. Your banana should look like a leopard.

Check out this video from Food n Sport about the benefits of eating bananas!

Photo above from 30 Bananas a Day.